Monday, November 20, 2017

Jacquelyn Middleton lives it up in London...plus a book giveaway

We're glad to have Jacquelyn Middleton back at CLC. She's here to talk about what she enjoys doing for a night on the town in London, in honor of her novels based there. London Belongs to Me came out in 2016, and its sequel, London, Can You Wait?, was released in late October. Thanks to SparkPoint Studio, we have FOUR copies of London, Can You Wait? to give away!

Jacquelyn Middleton is an award-winning freelance writer with articles published by several of the most popular magazines, newspapers, and websites in North America including USA Today, Canadian Living, Best Health, National Geographic Travel, Psychology Today, The Toronto Star, Reader's Digest, Chatelaine, Today's Parent, and Flare. She previously worked in television broadcasting, and lives in Toronto with her husband and Schipperke. She's addicted to Bookstagram, loves London far too much, and has a thing for red Vespas.

Visit Jacquelyn online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram


Synopsis:

**Contains spoilers for London Belongs to Me**


Alex loves Mark. Mark loves Alex. But is love enough?


Since moving to London from the US, twenty-four-year-old Alex Sinclair seems to have it all: a coveted job writing for the theatre, supportive friends, and the man of her dreams--gorgeous Irish actor, Mark Keegan. But in the year since the acclaimed debut of her play, Alex and Mark's lives have been turned upside down.


Thanks to his role on a smash-hit British TV show, Mark is catapulted to stardom. Alex couldn't be happier until her boyfriend's popularity and insatiable drive to succeed means they're apart more than they're together. Forced to share Mark with showbiz heavy-hitters, intrusive press, and unrelenting fangirls, Alex's hopes for a stable and committed life with him start to fade. Her struggles with panic attacks, career uncertainty, and Mark's increasingly worrisome behaviour make her wonder: how much more can she bend before she breaks? (Courtesy of Amazon.)


A Night on the Town — London Edition

There’s something about visiting my favorite place on the planet that turns this early bird into a night owl. Perhaps it’s something to do with squeezing every ounce of enjoyment out of London, or maybe I feel most like my true self in the city by the Thames. Whatever the reason, you won’t find me tucked up in bed with a good book when I’m over the pond. Nope! For me, every night in London is show time—literally.


A night on the town London-style means theatre, specifically plays. No offense to musicals—I adore the sparkly joy of Kinky Boots so much I’ve seen it six times on two different continents—but just like Alex Sinclair in my debut novel London Belongs to Me and my latest release London, Can You Wait?, the play’s the thing. In London, lovers of all things dramatic are spoiled for choice—a report from 2014 stated that over 240 theatres called England’s capital home, but don’t feel overwhelmed. I can help! You see, I have a bit of a London problem. I visit London to the exclusion of anywhere else, flying over a few times each year, spending at least five nights (usually more) in town catching plays every single night (plus, a matinee or two for good measure during the day). That’s a lot of interval ice creams and curtain calls. As a result of my addiction, I’ve seen performances housed in found spaces, pubs, Victorian music halls, and modern monstrosities. My top picks? The historic Royal Court in posh Sloane Square, the relaxed Almeida in north London, and the esteemed National Theatre on the South Bank by the River Thames. These venues embrace new playwrights and offer a mix of traditional and edgy works, and their seating arrangements make the theatre going experience second to none. The National in particular is really special. It’s actually three theatres, not just one, and each has its own personality and vibe. Pick an actor and they’ve probably performed there: Judi Dench, Benedict Cumberbatch, Maggie Smith, and Hugh Jackman to name just a few.

The Court, the Almeida, and the National have all played huge roles in my books and continue to own my theatre-loving heart off the page. They say that art imitates life, right? Or is it vice versa? Hmm, maybe this Anglophile night owl has to visit again to answer that question. For book research, right? Always for research.

Thanks to Jacquelyn for her lovely post and to SparkPoint for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here

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Giveaway ends November 26th at midnight EST.

12 comments:

Janine said...

London is on my travel bucket list. I hope I get to go one day. I think if I could only stay one night, I would definitely check out Harrods because I love to shop and have heard so much about this store.

Rita Wray said...

So much to see and do I would definitely visit the historic Royal Court.

traveler said...

I would visit Churchill's War Room and Selfridge's Department store.

bn100 said...

visit Buckingham Palace

Jennifer Huelsebusch said...

London is my favorite city as well and I’ve been lucky to have been twice in the last 5 years! I enjoy the theater and saw Breakfast at Tiffany’s when I was last there. The theater experience is a little different than in the United States. I also love everything Royal and shopping at Cath Kidston! I loved the first book and looking forward to reading the sequel!

Mary Preston said...

I'd want to visit the underground silver vaults.

diannekc said...

I would l8ke to see Buckingham Palace and the Crown Jewels, changing of the guard and as much London stuff as possible.

ElisabethP said...

I'd love to finally see Buckingham Palace. :)

Jennifer said...

I would try and see the new Harry Potter play!

Linda May said...

I was in London a long time ago, but there is still so much more to see like Buckingham Palace & the Tower of London & plays. Thanks for your generosity.

LoriF said...

I am not sure I could compress all I would want to see into one day! But I would definitely try!

Aire para respirar said...

Despite having there so many times, there are still quite a lot of things to do, I would love to go back to watch "The Mousetrap" or to Shakespeare's Globe, or take the Jack the Ripper walking tour